System and method for multimedia presentation

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating, transmitting, reproducing, and integrating multimedia contents for a presentation. An example method includes providing a presentation document comprising a plurality of slides (e.g., a first slide and a second slide), and generating multimedia data of a presentation, including a first audio datum, a first video datum, a second audio datum and a second video datum. The multimedia data may be transmitted to an audience device for reproduction of the multimedia presentation such that: each of the first audio datum, the first video datum, the second audio datum and the second video datum is individually transmitted to the audience device, along with slide information indicative of one of the plurality of slides with which it is associated and time information indicative of a time at which each multimedia datum is to be played back.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a priority claim is made in theApplication Data Sheet are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Multimedia contents of a presentation typically includes a presentationdocument (e.g., ppt doc.), audio (e.g., featuring the presenter'svoice), video (e.g., featuring the presenter), and markings (e.g.,annotations) made by the presenter on the presentation document.Typically, visual contents of the presentation document, such as videoand marking, are combined together to form image frames which aretransmitted to audience devices for reproduction. Once combined in theform of image frames, the components are not separable in their originalforms. Generally, the size of the combined image frames is relativelylarge even if compressed. Effective distribution of multimediapresentation contents may be difficult or limited in the areas where thedata transmission infrastructure is not very good.

Various embodiments are presented herein that address one or more ofthese shortcomings.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides new and innovative systems and methodsfor generating, transmitting, reproducing, and integrating multimediacontents for a presentation. In an example, a method of processing amultimedia presentation is disclosed. The method may be performed by acomputing device having one or more processors. The method may includeproviding a presentation document comprising a plurality of slides. Theplurality of slides may include, for example, a first slide and a secondslide. The method may further include generating multimedia data of apresentation. The presentation may be performed by at least onepresenter using the presentation document. The multimedia data mayinclude audio and video data, for example, a first audio datum, a firstvideo datum, a second audio datum and a second video datum. The firstaudio datum may be associated with the first slide and configured forreproducing a first audio captured while the first slide is displayedduring the presentation. The first video datum may be associated withthe first slide and configured for reproducing a first video capturedwhile the first slide is displayed during the presentation. The secondaudio datum may be associated with the second slide and configured forreproducing a second audio captured while the second slide is displayedduring the presentation. The second video datum may be associated withthe second slide and configured for reproducing a second video capturedwhile the second slide is displayed during the presentation.

The method may further include causing to transmit the multimedia datato an audience device for reproduction of the multimedia presentationsuch that: each of the first audio datum, the first video datum, thesecond audio datum and the second video datum is individuallytransmitted to the audience device, each of the first audio datum, thefirst video datum, the second audio datum and the second video datum istransmitted along with slide information indicative of one of theplurality of slides with which it is associated, the first video datum,when transmitted, is not combined or integrated with the first slide,the second video datum, when transmitted, is not combined or integratedwith the second slide, the first video datum is transmitted along withfirst video time information indicative of a time at which the firstvideo datum is to be played back, and the second video datum istransmitted along with second video time information indicative of atime at which the second video datum is to be played back.

In some aspects, the method may further include: causing to synchronizeplaying of the first audio datum and displaying of the first slide suchthat the first slide appears on a screen of the audience device oranother device as the first audio datum starts to be played back; andcausing to synchronize playing of the second audio datum and displayingof the second slide such that the second slide appears on the screen asthe second audio datum starts to be played back.

In some aspects, the method may further include causing at least part ofthe plurality of slides comprising the first and second slides to betransmitted to the audience device prior to transmission of themultimedia data to the audience device; causing to load the at leastpart of the plurality of slides on a viewing computer program installedin the audience device for viewing the at least part of the plurality ofslides prior to receipt of the first audio datum on the audience datum;and causing to synchronize playing of the first audio datum anddisplaying of the first slide such that the first slide appears on ascreen of the audience device or another device as the first audio datumstarts to be played back.

In some aspects, the second slide is immediately subsequent to the firstslide in the presentation. The method may further include causing totransmit the first slide to the audience device; and subsequentlycausing to transmit the second slide to the audience device, wherein thefirst audio datum and the first video datum are transmitted to theaudience device prior to transmission of the second slide.

In some aspects, the second slide may be immediately subsequent to thefirst slide in the presentation. The second audio datum may betransmitted to the audience device along with a second audio timeinformation indicative of a time at which the second audio datum is tobe played back. Furthermore, the time indicated by the second audio timeinformation may be at or about a time at which playing of the firstaudio datum is completed.

In some aspects, the method may further include causing to synchronizeplaying of the first audio datum and displaying of the first slide suchthat the first slide appears on a screen of the audience device oranother device as the first audio datum starts to be played back; andcausing to synchronize playing of the second audio datum and displayingof the second slide such that the first slide is switChed to the secondslide on the screen as the second audio datum starts to be played back.

In some aspects, the method may further include causing to start playingthe first video datum at the time indicated by the first video timeinformation while the first slide is being displayed on the screen suchthat a first video of the first video datum is displayed on the screentogether with the first slide; and causing to start playing the secondvideo datum at the time indicated by the second video time informationwhile the second slide is being displayed on the screen such that asecond video of the second video datum is displayed on the screentogether with the second slide.

In some aspects, the first video datum may be referred to as a firstvideo datum configured for reproducing a video captured while the firstslide is displayed during the presentation. The second video datum maybe referred to as a second video datum configured for reproducing avideo captured while the second slide is displayed during thepresentation. The multimedia data may further include a first markingdatum and a second marking datum. The first marking datum is associatedwith the first slide as containing at least one marking made on thefirst slide while the first slide is displayed during the presentation.Furthermore, the second marking datum may be associated with the secondslide as containing at least one marking made on the second slide whilethe second slide is displayed during the presentation.

In some aspects, each of the first marking datum and the second markingdatum is individually transmitted to the audience device. Each of thefirst marking datum and the second marking datum may be transmittedalong with slide information indicative of one of the plurality ofslides with which it is associated. The first marking datum, whentransmitted, may not be combined or integrated with the first slide. Thesecond marking datum, when transmitted, may not be combined orintegrated with the second slide. The first marking datum may betransmitted along with first marking time information indicative of atime at which the first marking datum is to be played back. Furthermore,the second marking datum may be transmitted along with second markingtime information indicative of a time at which the second marking datumis to be played back.

In some aspects, the first video datum may be referred to as a firstmarking datum configured for reproducing at least one marking made onthe first slide while the first slide is displayed during thepresentation. The second video datum may be referred to as a secondmarking datum configured for reproducing at least one marking made onthe second slide while the second slide is displayed during thepresentation. Furthermore, the first marking datum may include locationinformation indicative of a location of a marking on the first slide anda time associated with the location.

In some aspects, the first marking datum may include thicknessinformation indicative of a thickness of the marking and colorinformation indicative of a color of the marking.

In some aspects, generating the multimedia data may include: capturingan audio during the presentation, in which the first slide is displayedand subsequently the first slide is replaced with the second slide;detecting a slide change in which the first slide is replaced with thesecond slide; creating the first audio datum using a first portion ofthe audio (the first audio) that ends at or about the slide change; andcreating the second audio datum using a second portion of the audio (thesecond audio) that starts at or about the of the slide change.

In some aspects, the audio is provided by capturing the audio during thepresentation. Moreover, the slide change may be detected and the firstaudio may be created while the presentation is being performed.Furthermore, the slide change can be detected based on an input by theat least one presenter or based on monitoring of displayed slides whilethe presentation is being performed. The first audio datum may betransmitted to the audience device by streaming while the presentationis being performed.

In some aspects, the multimedia data may be generated by: capturing anaudio during the presentation, in which the first slide is displayed andsubsequently the first slide is replaced with the second slide;detecting an addition of the first video occurred while the first slideis displayed during the presentation; creating the first video datumcomprising the first video; and further creating the first video timeinformation indicative of a time at or about which the first video isadded.

In some aspects, the multimedia data may be generated by: providing atleast one recording of the audio of the presentation, in which the firstslide is displayed and subsequently the first slide is replaced with thesecond slide; providing at least one recording of a visualrepresentation of the presentation which comprises a sequence of atleast part of the plurality of slides; processing the visualrepresentation of the presentation to detecting a slide change in whichthe first slide is replaced with the second slide; determining a time ofthe slide change relative to a reference point in the audio of thepresentation; creating the first audio datum using a portion of theaudio (the first audio) that ends at or about the time of the slidechange; and creating the second audio datum using a portion of the audio(the second audio) that starts at or about the time of the of the slidechange.

In an embodiment, a method for reproducing a multimedia presentation isdisclosed. The method may be performed by a computing device (e.g., anaudience device) having a memory and one or more processors. The methodmay include receiving a presentation document comprising a plurality ofslides, including a first slide and a second slide; and receiving afirst audio datum, a first video datum, a second audio datum and asecond video datum individually and separately from the presentationdocument. Along with each of the first audio datum, the first videodatum, the second audio datum and the second video datum, the computingdevice may receive slide information indicative of one of the pluralityof slides with which it is associated. Along with the first video datum,the computing device may further receive first video time informationindicative of a time at which the first video datum is to be playedback. Furthermore, along with the second video datum, the computingdevice may further receive second video time information indicative of atime at which the second video datum is to be played back.

The method may further include playing a first audio of the first audiodatum while displaying the first slide on a screen. Along with the firstslide on the screen, the computing device may display a first video ofthe first video datum at or about the time indicated in the first videotime information. Upon completion of playing of the first audio, thecomputing device may immediately play a second audio of the second audiodatum. The computing device may display the second slide in replacementof the first slide on the screen as playing of the second audio.Furthermore, along with the second slide on the screen, the computingdevice may display a second video of the second video datum at or aboutthe time indicated in the second video time information.

In some aspects, the method may further include loading the at least thepart of the presentation document on a viewing computer program forviewing the at least the part of the presentation document prior toreceiving the multimedia data comprising the first audio datum, thefirst video datum, the second audio datum, and the second video datum.The method may further include synchronizing playing of the first audioof the first audio datum and displaying the first slide such that thefirst slide appears on the screen as the first audio datum starts to beplayed back.

In some aspects, the method may further include identifying, based onthe slide information, associations between: the first audio datum andthe first slide, the first video datum and the first slide, the secondaudio datum and the second slide, and the second video datum and thesecond slide; determining, based on the first video time information,the time at which the first video datum is to be played back; anddetermining, based on the first second time information, the time atwhich the first video datum is to be played back. In some aspects, thepresentation document, the first audio datum, the first video datum, thesecond audio datum, and the second video datum may be stored within adatabase.

In some aspects, the received multimedia data may further comprise afirst marking datum and a second marking datum. The first marking datummay be associated with the first slide, and the second marking datum maybe associated with the second slide. The method may further include:along with the first marking datum, further receiving first marking timeinformation indicative of a time at which the first marking datum is tobe displayed as a first marking on the first slide; along with the firstslide on the screen, further displaying the first marking of the firstmarking datum at or about the time indicated in the first marking timeinformation; along with the second marking datum, further receivingsecond marking time information indicative of a time at which the secondmarking datum is to be displayed as a second marking on the secondslide; and along with the second slide on the screen, further displayingthe second marking of the second marking datum at or about the timeindicated in the second marking time information.

In an example, a system for processing a multimedia presentation isdisclosed. The system may include memory and one or more processors incommunication with the memory. The memory may store instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, may cause the one or moreprocessors to perform one or more of the following steps: providing apresentation document comprising a plurality of slides which comprises afirst slide and a second slide; generating multimedia data of apresentation performed by at least one presenter using the presentationdocument, wherein the multimedia data comprises a first audio datum, afirst video datum, a second audio datum and a second video datum;wherein the first audio datum is associated with the first slide andconfigured for reproducing a first audio captured while the first slideis displayed during the presentation, the first video datum isassociated with the first slide and configured for reproducing a firstvideo captured while the first slide is displayed during thepresentation, the second audio datum is associated with the second slideand configured for reproducing a second audio captured while the secondslide is displayed during the presentation, and the second video datumis associated with the second slide and configured for reproducing asecond video captured while the second slide is displayed during thepresentation; and causing to transmit the multimedia data to an audiencedevice for reproduction of the multimedia presentation such that: eachof the first audio datum, the first video datum, the second audio datumand the second video datum is individually transmitted to the audiencedevice, each of the first audio datum, the first video datum, the secondaudio datum and the second video datum is transmitted along with slideinformation indicative of one of the plurality of slides with which itis associated, the first video datum, when transmitted, is not combinedor integrated with the first slide, the second video datum, whentransmitted, is not combined or integrated with the second slide, thefirst video datum is transmitted along with first video time informationindicative of a time at which the first video datum is to be playedback, and the second video datum is transmitted along with second videotime information indicative of a time at which the second video datum isto be played back.

In another embodiment a system for reproducing a multimedia presentationis disclosed. The system may include memory and one or more processorsin communication with the memory. The memory may store instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, may cause the one ormore processors to perform one or more of the following steps: receivinga presentation document comprising a plurality of slides which comprisesa first slide and a second slide; receiving a first audio datum, a firstvideo datum, a second audio datum and a second video datum individuallyand separately from the presentation document; along with each of thefirst audio datum, the first video datum, the second audio datum and thesecond video datum, further receiving slide information indicative ofone of the plurality of slides with which it is associated; along withthe first video datum, further receiving first video time informationindicative of a time at which the first video datum is to be playedback; along with the second video datum, further receiving second videotime information indicative of a time at which the second video datum isto be played back; playing a first audio of the first audio datum whiledisplaying the first slide on a screen; along with the first slide onthe screen displaying a first video of the first video datum at or aboutthe time indicated in the first video time information; upon completionof playing of the first audio, immediately playing a second audio of thesecond audio datum; displaying the second slide in replacement of thefirst slide on the screen as playing of the second audio; and along withthe second slide on the screen displaying a second video of the secondvideo datum at or about the time indicated in the second video timeinformation.

In an example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for use on acomputer system is disclosed. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium may contain computer-executable programming instructions maycause processors to perform one or more methods or steps describedherein.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosed method and apparatusare described in, and will be apparent from, the following DetailedDescription and the Figures. The features and advantages describedherein are not all-inclusive and, in particular, many additionalfeatures and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart in view of the figures and description. Moreover, it should be notedthat the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and not to limitthe scope of the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a presentation timeline for a presentation of apresentation document comprising a plurality of slides according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates a presentation timeline for a presentation of apresentation document and additional multimedia content according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B illustrates another presentation timeline for a presentation ofa presentation document and additional multimedia content according toan example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for generating,transmitting, reproducing, and integrating multimedia contents for apresentation, according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the generation and transmissionof multimedia contents for a presentation from a server to an audiencedevice for reproduction thereon, according to an example embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example display of an audience device showing apresentation, according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display of an audience device showing apresentation with additional multimedia content, according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example display of an audience device showing apresentation with additional multimedia content, according to anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example database of acomputing device for integrating and synchronizing multimedia data for apresentation, according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing system usedfor generating, transmitting, reproducing, and/or integrating multimediacontents for a presentation, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described anddiscussed in more detail in terms of some specific embodiments andexamples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, butnot all embodiments of the invention are shown. Like numbers refer tolike elements or parts throughout. The presently disclosed subjectmatter may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed many modifications andother embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter will come tothe mind of one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosedsubject matter pertains. Therefore, it is to be understood that thepresently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Current Issues in the Distribution of Presentations with MultimediaContent

A presentation often involves a presenter communicating to theiraudience through multimedia contents, which typically includes apresentation document (e.g., ppt doc.), audio, video, and markings madeby the presenter on the presentation document. Typically, visualcontents of the presentation document, video and markings (e.g., notesor annotations added to the presentation document) are combined togetherto form image frames that get transmitted to audience devices forreproduction. Once combined in the form of image frames, the componentsare not separable in their original forms. Generally, the size of thecombined image frames is relatively large even if they are compressed.Effective distribution of multimedia presentation contents may bedifficult or limited in the areas where the data transmissioninfrastructure is not very good. Even if an audio for the presentationwere to be separately delivered or streamed, similar networkingconstraints may result in lag time or may lack synchronization.Therefore, there is a desire and need for a more effective system andmethod for generating, delivering, and reproducing presentations withmultiple forms of multimedia content (referred to herein as multimediapresentations), so that the multimedia presentations can withstandhardware and networking constraints and be easily separable into itsrespective components.

Overview of a Non-Limiting Example of Addressing the Above DescribedIssues

Various embodiments of the present disclosure address one or more of theabove described shortcomings. In at least some embodiments, the presentdisclosure provides a system and method for generating and transmittingmultimedia contents for a presentation, which include the presentationdocument, audio data, video data, and markings data, from a computingsystem or device associated with the presenter (referred to herein asthe “presenter device”) to a computing system or device associated withthe intended recipient or audience (referred to herein as the “audiencedevice”) for integration and reproduction thereon. Each of the audio,video, and markings data may be segmented into smaller pieces (e.g.,chunks) and may be transmitted piecemeal as opposed to transmitting theentire audio, video or markings for the entire presentation together.Each piece being transmitted—for example, each audio datum, each videodatum and/or each markings datum—may be generated for the transmissionand associated (e.g., via metadata) with a particular slide of thepresentation material. Furthermore, some pieces being transmitted, forexample, the markings datum or video datum associated with a particularslide, may be transmitted with time information indicative of when theyare to be presented. In some embodiments, another computing system ordevice (e.g., a server) may facilitate the transmission of thepresentation to the audience device by receiving the live or recordedpresentation from the presenter device, generating the multimediacontent associated with the presentation, and causing the separatetransmission of the individual pieces of the presentation to theaudience device, along with the time information and slide informationfor the various individual pieces. In another embodiment of the presentdisclosure, systems and methods are disclosed by which an audiencedevice integrates or assembles (e.g., via computer executableinstructions) the presentation document, audio datum, video datum andmarkings datum to reproduce the presentation.

A Non-Limiting Example of Generating a Presentation

As an example, a presenter may use their presenter device to record apresentation on a desired topic. The presenter may record variousaspects of the presentation as part of a process for creating thepresentation before the presenter actually presents or distributes thepresentation to an audience. Also or alternatively, the variouscomponents of the presentation may be captured or recorded while thepresenter is presenting (e.g., during a live meeting (e.g., a ZOOMcall)), and the various components of the presentation may bedistributed to the audience device of the audience in real-time atpredefined intervals, as will be described herein. The presenter mayutilize a presentation document that comprises a plurality of slides.Each slide may correspond to and outline subtopics of the presentationand may be displayed in a form that facilitates retention of informationby an audience (e.g., bullet points, graphs, etc.). The presenter mayhave the presentation document saved in their presentation device. Asthe presenter switChes from one slide to another slide on thepresentation document, the change in the slides can be detected (e.g.,by the presenter device or another device (e.g., a server)) and thatdetection (referred to herein as “slide detection”) can be used todetermine the sequence of slides, the time points at which slides arereplaced (e.g., by subsequent slides), and durations of time at whicheach slide is shown. While presenting, the presenter's voice narratingthe presentation may be captured by the presenter device or anothercomputing device (e.g., via a microphone). The captured audio may bestored, along with information about the respective slides to which thecaptured audio pertains (slide information for the audio) andinformation pertaining to the starting and ending times in thepresentation when the audio occurs (time information for the audio). Thepresenter may choose to focus the presentation on themselves (e.g., viaa camera) such that an audience would see a video of the presenter(e.g., in addition to the slide). The captured video may be stored,along with information about the respective slides to which the capturedvideo pertains to (slide information for the video) and informationpertaining to the starting and ending times in the presentation when thevideo occurs (time information for the video). The presenter may alsochoose to annotate the slides (e.g., underlining, circling, drawing anarrow to emphasize a point, etc.), for example, using a pen or othermarking tool provided via a presentation software (e.g., MicrosoftPowerPoint). The annotations (referred to as markings) may be capturedand stored along with information pertaining to their association withthe respective slides being annotated (slide information for themarkings) and information pertaining to the starting and ending times inthe presentation when those markings occur (time information for themarkings).

Slide of Presentation Document

In embodiments, a slide of the presentation document may be a staticimage or page to be displayed during the presentation. A slide of thepresentation document may include one or more dynamic elements (e.g.,animations or effects in in Microsoft PowerPoint). A static presentationslide may corresponds to a page in a printed or printable handout forthe presentation.

A Non-Limiting Example of Transmitting the Presentation to an AudienceDevice for Reproduction Thereon

The presenter may desire to distribute the presentation to an audience.For example, if the presenter was delivering a live presentation to theaudience (e.g., a ZOOM call), the audience may desire to obtain a copyof the presentation to replay at their leisure. Also or alternatively,the presenter may desire to submit the presentation to an audience thatmay not have seen or heard the presentation yet. As previouslydescribed, various components of the presentation (e.g., the slides, theaudio, video, markings, etc.) that the presenter had prepared, or wasdelivering in real-time, may be separately captured and stored asindividual multimedia datum (e.g., slide datum, audio datum, videodatum, marking datum, etc.). Each individual multimedia datum, which mayfurther include slide information and time information, may beseparately transmitted to an audience device of the audience.Furthermore, the separate components may be transmitted in chunks thatcorrespond to predefined presentation intervals. For example, inembodiments where the presenter is presenting to an audience inreal-time (e.g., a ZOOM call), the presenter device or another device(e.g., a server) may transmit the separate components for a givenpresentation interval as soon as the presentation interval ends, beforethe presentation proceeds to the next presentation interval. In someaspects, the presentation intervals may correspond to the duration oftime provided for each slide in the presentation. In such aspects,presentation intervals may be set based on the detections of slidechanges by the presentation device or another device (e.g., server)while the presenter is presenting. However, presentation intervals maybe additionally or alternatively based on other factors (e.g.,predetermined time intervals (e.g., every 10 minutes), segments of audioor other multimedia content during the presentation). The slide data fora given slide, and any audio data corresponding to the slide, any videodata corresponding to the slide, and/or any marking data correspondingto the slide may be separately transmitted to the audience device beforeslide data and any associated multimedia data for the next slide istransmitted. In some aspects, the presentation document itself may betransmitted to the audience device prior to any multimedia dataassociated with any given slide is transmitted to the audience device.Thus, the intended audience may efficiently receive presentations asthey are prepared or delivered (e.g., slide by slide, or at eachpresentation intervals) and as separate multimedia content so that theaudience can fully experience the multimedia presentation (e.g., withoutcompromising on quality).

A Non-Limiting Example of Reproducing the Presentation at an AudienceDevice

As discussed, each piece of multimedia data (corresponding to a givenslide and/or a given presentation interval) may include information(e.g., metadata) about the slide with which the piece of multimedia datais associated with (slide information), and may, in some aspects, mayfurther include information about a start and end time for that piece ofmultimedia data (time information). The slide information and timeinformation for each piece of multimedia data allows the audience deviceto assemble and recreate the presentation. For example, as each slidedata is received, the audience device may identify any subsequentlyreceived multimedia data as belonging to that slide (e.g., based on theslide information for the multimedia data), and may use the timeinformation for that multimedia data to determine at what time point themultimedia data is to be played back. Thus, an audience listening andviewing the presenter's presentation may be able to simultaneously(e.g., in real-time), and/or at any time point after a livepresentation, receive components and pieces of the presentation on theiraudience device to efficiently reassemble the presentation. Moreover,the transmission of individual components and pieces of a multimediapresentation in accordance with the segmentation techniques describedherein overcomes bandwidth, lag time, and file size issues that areprevalent in conventional modes of multimedia presentation distribution.Furthermore, the inclusion of critical assembly information within eachtransmitted multimedia datum allows the audience to experience thepresentation without compromising on any aspects of the presentationduring its recreation.

Presentation Timeline for a Presentation Document

Presentations delivered across devices have typically involvedpresentation documents (e.g., PowerPoint files) featuring a plurality ofslides. A presentation may occur over a duration of time, and mayinvolve a temporal component for each slide throughout the duration ofthe presentation. FIG. 1 illustrates a presentation timeline for apresentation of a presentation document comprising a plurality of slidesaccording to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Forexample, the presentation is shown to span a duration of time that is atleast t_(n). The presentation document is shown to comprise a pluralityof slides, from slide 1 (100), to slide 2 (200), and all the way toslide N. During the duration of the presentation, the display of eachslide may begin at a specific time of the presentation, and may bedisplayed until the specified time for the next slide to be displayed.Thus, as shown in FIG. 1 , slide 1 (100) is displayed from t₁ to t₂,slide 2 (200) is displayed from t₂ until t₃, and slide N is displayed atleast from t_(N) (the end time for displaying slide N is not shown butslide N is indicated as being the end of the presentation document). Insome embodiments, the end time for the display of a given slide need notcoincide with the start time for the display of the subsequent slide.Furthermore the duration of time for which a given slide is displayedneed not be the same as the duration of time for which another slide isdisplayed. For example, slide 2 (200) is displayed for a longer time (t₂to t₃) than the duration of time during which slide 1 (100) is displayed(t₁ to t₂), as shown by the lengths of the portions of the timelineprovided for each slide in FIG. 1 .

Presentation Timeline for Presentations with Additional MultimediaContent

Although presentations delivered across devices have typically includedpresentation documents, presentations have often further includedadditional multimedia content such as videos, audio, and markings (e.g.,on the slides). The additional multimedia content may accompany thepresentation document so that they may both be presented, such thattheir presentations can result in specific overlapping timeframes. FIG.2A illustrates a presentation timeline for a presentation of apresentation document and additional multimedia content according to anexample embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2A, alongwith the presentation of the presentation document comprising theplurality of slides (e.g., Slide 1(100), Slide 2 (200), . . . Slide N),the presentation also includes audio, video, and markings (e.g.,annotations in the presentation document made by the presenter). Theaudio may be segmented to a plurality of audio segments occurringthroughout the presentation, such as audio 1 (110), to audio 2 (210),and all the way to audio N, as shown. In the example shown in FIG. 2A,the start and end time of each audio segment coincides with the startand end time of each respective slide. That is, audio 1 (110) and slide(100) both begin at t₁ and end at t₂, slide 2 (200) and audio 2 (210)both begin at t₂ and end at t₃, and audio N and slide N both begin att_(N). However, consecutive segments of different multimedia contentneed not align along the same start and end times. For example, video2-1 (220) is shown to begin at t₂₁ and end at t₂₃, which is only aportion of the timespan when audio 2 and slide 2 (200) are beingpresented. Similarly, in the example presentation shown in FIG. 2A,there are two markings, marking 2-1 (230) and marking 2-2 (240).However, while both of these markings occur between the start and endtimes of audio 2 (210) and slide 2 (200) of t₁ and t₂, the start and endtimes of marking 2-1 (230) is t₂₂ and t₂₄, respectively (i.e., startingand ending later than video 2-1 (220)), and the start and end time ofmarking 2-2 (240) is t₂₅ and t₃, respectively. As used herein, a markingmay refer to visual annotations added to a slide or portion of thepresentation document for a duration of time.

FIG. 2B illustrates another presentation timeline for a presentation ofa presentation document and additional multimedia content according toan example embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example shown inFIG. 2B, in contrast to the example shown in FIG. 2A, the presentationtimeline includes audio content whose start and end times are notaligned with the start and end times of each slide. For example, whenslide 2 (200) is being presented from t₂ until t₃, audio 2-1 starts tobe played at t₂ but ends earlier than t₃. Another audio, audio 2-2(212), is played immediately after audio 2-1 ends, until t₃. The audiodata corresponding to audio 2-1 and audio 2-2 may include timeinformation indicating the start and end times of the respective audiocontent, in order to facilitate proper playback of the audio at thecorrect times during the presentation wherever the presentation isreproduced. Furthermore, in some embodiments, there may be two differentmultimedia content of the same type of multimedia content that can beplayed concurrently during the display of a slide. For example, as shownin the second presentation interval (t₂ to t₃) of FIG. 2B, video 2-1 a(221) and video 2-1 b (222) are played consecutively after one another,while video 2-2 (224) is also being played. After video 2-2 (224) ends,video 2-1 c (223) is played until t₃ (the end time for the display ofslide 2 (200). However, when video 2-1 c begins to be played, video 2-2(224) had already ended. Embodiments described herein allow for thedistribution of individual and separate components of the presentation,such as video-2-1 a (221), video-2-1 b (222), video-2-1 c (223),video-2-2 (224), and allow for the effective reproduction of thepresentation at an audience device, by including critical timeinformation and/or slide information for each component of thepresentation.

Example Process for Generating, Transmitting, Reproducing, andIntegrating Multimedia Contents for a Presentation

As previously discussed, conventional methods of distributingpresentations involve combining the various multimedia componentsdescribed above such that they are not separable in their originalforms, resulting in the aforementioned size and bandwidth issues. FIG. 3is a flow chart illustrating a process for generating, transmitting,reproducing, and integrating multimedia contents for a presentation,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. It iscontemplated that in order to avail the techniques described herein toovercome the shortcomings of conventional methods for distributingpresentations with multimedia content, the presentation is first createdby a presenter. Thus, at step S100, a presentation may be initiated bygenerating or receiving a presentation document comprising a pluralityof slides. For example, a presenter may draft slides for thepresentation document using one or more software tools (e.g., MicrosoftPowerPoint) at a computing device associated with the presenter(presenter device). Also or alternatively, a computing device or system(e.g., a server) may receive a presentation document (e.g., from thepresenter device), and the computing device or system (e.g., the server)may then proceed to perform one or more steps presented herein forgenerating multimedia data and distributing the presentation. In variousembodiments, the presentation may be initiated by combining the draftedslides into a single file and/or causing the drafted slides to be savedas a file (e.g., a .PPT file), such that the slides are arrangedsequentially (e.g., each slide has an order of entry in thepresentation). The combined slides may comprise a slideshow. In someembodiments, the presenter may specify a duration of time for thepresentation (e.g., a duration of time for the slideshow), and mayspecify a duration of time that each slide of the presentation is to bedisplayed during the presentation.

Generating Multimedia Data

At step S200, multimedia data (e.g., audio, video, marking data, etc.)is generated for each slide. The multimedia data (e.g., audio, video,and marking data) can be additional to the slide data for each slide, asthe slide data may also be considered as a form of multimedia data. Forexample, the presenter may insert, for any given slide, audio data to beplayed back or reproduced as audio during the presentation when theslide is being displayed during the presentation. The audio maycomprise, for example, the presenter's own voice, a sound effect, music,narration, or the like. For example, an audio may include an audioportion of a move or clip, while a video may refer to the visual portionof the movie or clip. In some aspects, the presenter may set the startand end time for when the audio is to be played back during thepresentation. The start and end time of the inserted audio (referred toherein as audio time information) need not coincide with the start andend time of the given slide. Similarly, for any given slide, thepresenter may insert video data to be played back or reproduced as videowhen the slide is being displayed during the presentation. The video maycomprise, one or more visual elements representing for example, anyportion of a video of the presenter (e.g., while they are presenting theslide), a movie or television serial clip, a cartoon clip, an animation,a video recording, or the like. In some aspects, a video datum maycomprises one or more visual data configured for reproducing the one ormore visual elements of a video. The start and end time of the insertedvideo (referred to herein as audio time information) need not coincidewith the start and end time of the given slide. Similarly, the presentermay choose to add marking data for any given slide. The marking maycomprise any form of an annotation on the slide. In some aspects, thepresenter may choose to specify a start and end time for the marking(referred to herein as marking time information), within the time windowat which the slide is displayed, should a marking be displayed. Invarious embodiments, each multimedia data may be marked with slideinformation that indicates the slide with which the multimedia data isassociated with. In some aspects, the slide information may be stored asmetadata in the multimedia content. Furthermore, it is contemplated thatnot all slides need to have the additional multimedia data (e.g., audio,video, markings) associated with it, as a presenter may choose topresent a given slide without any additional multimedia dataaccompanying it.

Generating Multimedia Data By Capturing From Live Or RecordedPresentation

In some embodiments, multimedia data may be generated by the presenterdevice or another computing device based on the capture of variousmultimedia data from a recorded or live presentation by the presenter(e.g., a ZOOM Presentation). Such embodiments may facilitate thereal-time generation of multimedia data (e.g., from an ongoing, live, orrecently recorded presentation) and real-time transmission of thepresentation (e.g., to the audience device). For example, a presentermay deliver a presentation using the presentation document and mayinclude various audio (e.g., including the voice of the presenterthemselves), video, and/or marking. The presentation may be recorded ormay otherwise be captured by the presenter device or another computingdevice. In such embodiments, multimedia data may be generated bycapturing each instance of audio, video, and/or marking used during thepresentation (e.g., via image, and/or audio processing), and storingthem as audio, video, and/or marking data. The slide being displayed foreach instance of the audio, video, and/or marking may be identified(e.g., via image recognition by comparing to slides of the presentationdocument), and the identification may be used to store slide informationassociating each audio, video, and/or marking with a respective slide.Furthermore, the times at which the audio, video, and/or markings arepresent during the presentation may be recorded and stored as timeinformation for the respective multimedia data.

In some aspects, the presenter device and/or another computing device(e.g., a server) may detect slide changes during the presentation (e.g.,when a given slide is replaced with another slide) to determine ordersfor slides and/or time intervals for each slide. For example, one ormore image processors may recognize (e.g., based on predefined aspectratios), a rectangular or quadrilateral area as comprising the slide,and may detect (e.g., based on a difference in a significant portion ofthe pixels within that area) a change in a slide from one time unit tothe next time unit. In some aspect, a given multimedia datum, may begenerated using a portion of any multimedia (e.g., an audio, a video, ora marking) that ends at or about the slide change. Thus, anothermultimedia datum may be generated using a second portion of themultimedia that starts at or about the of the slide change. In someembodiments, the presenter device and/or another computing device mayalso detect additions of video and/or markings (e.g., by detectingchanges in pixels within a smaller portion of a slide). In some aspects,the presenter device and/or another device may detect the slide changeand create the multimedia datum based on the slide change while thepresentation is being performed by the presenter (e.g., the multimediadata generation may occur in real or near real time). In some aspects,the slide change may be detected based on an input by the presenter(e.g., a selection to proceed to the next slide on a slide creatingapplication (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint). Also or alternatively, theslide change may be detected by monitoring the displayed slides whilethe presentation is being performed.

Marking Datum

In embodiments, a computing system tracks movement of a presentationpointer, a writing device, or a hand-held pointing device that thepresenter uses for a presentation slide, and stores data of the movementin a way that another computing device can reproduce the movement whenreproducing presentation of the slide. For example, data of marking 2-1(230) may i may be stored using a video format, a animation clip,pointer movement vector(s), location(s) of the pointer with timeinformation, location(s) of the pointer measured with a predeterminedfrequency, and combination thereof. A data other than the exampler canbe used for a marking datum.

Transmitting a Given Slide and Associated Multimedia Data to an AudienceDevice

At step S310, a given slide of the plurality of slides may betransmitted to an audience device. Referring to FIG. 4 , for example, aslide datum (410) including Slide 2 (200) and its Slide ID 002 istransmitted to the second computing device (500) Furthermore, at stepS320, any multimedia data associated with the slide may also betransmitted to the audience device. Referring to FIG. 4 , for example,the multimedia data (420-460) may be transmitted to the second computingdevice (500) for further processing to reproduce the presentation. Theaudience device may refer to the computing device associated with anintended audience or intended recipient of the presentation. In someaspects, the presenter device or a server may transmit, and the audiencedevice may receive, the given slide before any corresponding multimediadata associated with the slide. In other aspects, the given slide neednot be transmitted before the corresponding multimedia data. In someembodiments the datum corresponding to the given slide and/or anyassociated multimedia datum may be further fragmented into chunks. Thechunks may be transmitted by the presenter device or server, andreceived by the audience device, separately to be reassembled into datafor the given slide into the associated multimedia data. The chunks mayfacilitate more effective transmission over the communication networkbetween the presenter device or server and the audience device, e.g.,via adaptively loading a varying number of chunks into carriersdepending on the network connectivity.

Reproducing Each Slide and Associated Multimedia Data by the AudienceDevice

For each slide and any associated multimedia data received by theaudience device, the audience device, at step 400, may combine the slideand multimedia data to reproduce the presentation for the slide on theaudience device. For example, the audience device may detect slideinformation (e.g., stored as metadata) from a received multimedia dataand may use the slide information to associate the received multimediadata with the slide referenced in the slide information. Furthermore,the audience device may use time information (e.g., an audio, video, ormarking time information) to determine the start and end time for themultimedia data to be played back, relative to the start and end time ofthe slide with which the multimedia data is associated with. Steps S310,S320, and S400 may be repeated for other slides of the plurality ofslides for the presentation, until all or most of the slides andmultimedia data are combined. Thus, the audience device may synchronizeplaying of each multimedia datum with the display of the correspondingslides based on the slide information of the multimedia datum such thatthe slide appears on a screen of the audience device or another deviceas the multimedia datum starts to be played back. In some embodiments,reproducing any aspect of the presentation, for example, reproducing agiven slide or multimedia data associated with the slide, may involveloading that aspect of the presentation on a viewing computer programinstalled in the audience device. In some aspects, a given slide may beloaded into the computer program before any associated multimedia datais loaded. The viewing computer program, when executed (e.g., by one ormore processors of the audience device), may cause the audience deviceto play back the slide and multimedia (e.g., audio, video, or marking)corresponding to any multimedia data associated with the slide (e.g.,audio data, video data, or marking data, respectively), in accordancewith the time information for the multimedia data.

Transmitting Slide Data and Multimedia Data

As previously discussed, the systems and methods described herein fordistributing multimedia contents for a presentation may overcome theissues of audience devices unable to receive or load large sizes forpresentation files or separate presentations into their respectivecomponents. In some embodiments, the separate transmission of thevarious multimedia data and the slide data help to overcome theseissues. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the transmission ofmultimedia contents for a presentation from a server to an audiencedevice for reproduction thereon, according to an example embodiment ofthe present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4 , a first computing device400 (e.g., a presenter device or another computing system (e.g., aserver)) transmits various components of a presentation to a secondcomputing device 500 (e.g., an audience device). A set of componentsbeing transmitted in any given time interval for transmission (referredto herein as transmission interval), may pertain to components of apresentation during a specific time interval of the presentation(referred to herein as presentation interval). In some aspects, thelength of each presentation interval and/or each transmission intervalmay be correspond to the length of time allotted for the presentation ofeach slide for the plurality of slides of a presentation document. Inthe example previously described in relation to FIG. 2A, during apresentation interval from t₁ to t₂, which corresponded to thepresentation of Slide 1 (100) the components of the presentation wereonly Slide 1 (100) and Audio 1 (110). The components being transmittedin transmission interval of FIG. 4 , however, are of the presentationinterval from t₂ to t₃ in the presentation timeline FIG. 2A, whichcorresponds to the presentation of slide 2 (200). As previouslydescribed in relation to FIG. 2A, the components being presented at anypoint within the presentation interval from t₂ to t₃ included slide 2(200), Audio 2 (210), Video 2 (220), marking 2-1 (230), and marking 2-2(240). Accordingly, in the transmission interval shown in FIG. 4 , thepresenter device 400 transmits: slide data (410) based on slide 2 (200),audio data (420) based on Audio 2 (210), video data (430) based on Video2 (220), marking data (450) based on marking 2-1 (230), and marking data(460) based on marking 2-2 (240).

However, although these multimedia data are shown in FIG. 4 as beingtransmitted during a transmission interval, each multimedia data (e.g.,audio data (420), video data (430), marking data (450), and marking data(460)) may be individually transmitted, such that the transmission ofone datum need not coincide, wait, or be sent together with anotherdatum. Furthermore, the various multimedia data may not be combined orintegrated with other multimedia data, at least for the transmission. Inembodiments, two or more of the Slide 2's multimedia data (420-460) arecombined for transmission to the second computing device 500. Inembodiments, one or more of the Slide 2's multimedia data (420-460) canbe transmitted to the the second computing device 500 while another ofthe Slide 2's multimedia data is being transmitted to the the secondcomputing device 500. In some embodiments, the multimedia datapertaining to an aspect of the presentation document itself for thegiven transmission interval, for example, slide data (410), may betransmitted to the second computing device 500 (e.g., audience device)before any additional multimedia data associated with the presentationis transmitted.

Selective Transmission of Multimedia Data Based on Network Bandwidth

In embodiments, some of the multimedia data of the slide may not be sentto the second computing device 500 when a current network bandwidth (orcommunication speed) between the first computing device 400 and thesecond computing device 500 is not enough. For example, the firstcomputing device 400 obtains or measures a bandwidth of communication tothe second computing device 500, determines that an undesirable pause orwaiting is expected if the second computing device 500 waits for thevideo data 430, selects one or more elements of the multimedia data(excluding the video data 430) considering required bandwidth (orpredetermined priority) of each element, transmits only the selectedelement(s) to the second computing device 500, and instruct the secondcomputing device 500 to reproduce the presentation for the correspondingslide (Slide ID 002) without waiting for the video data 430 or anyadditional multimedia data. For example, the first computing device 400may send, to the second computing device 500, a communication that videodata 430 will not be sent and/or a list of multimedia data excludingvideo data 430 such that the second computing device 500 start toreproduce the presentation using Slide 2 without waiting for the videodata 430. In embodiments, one or more factors other than networkbandwidth can be considered for selective transmission of the multimediadata.

Tramismitting Slide Data and Multimedia Data Rather Than Combined Video

In embodiments, the audience device 500 does not receive (or require) avideo file or stream in which one or more of the multimedia data arecombine or integrated with its corresponding slide. Rather, the audiencedevice 500 may receive the slide data (410) and one or more of themultimedia data (420-460) separately and then initiate a processing toreproduce the presentation for Slide 2 (200) using the received data. Asthere is no transmission of a combined video or stream, transmission ofslide data (S310) and transmission of multimedia data (S320) may beseparate and independent, and also selective transmission of themultimedia data is possible.

Multimedia Data can be Used to Identify Reproduce and/or Output theRespective Multimedia Content

Each multimedia datum (e.g., audio datum, video datum, marking datum,etc.) comprises computer-executable instructions for reproducing and/oroutputting a respective multimedia content (slide, audio video, and/ormarking) and integrating the respective multimedia content with respectto other multimedia content (e.g., via time information). For example,audio data (420) includes time information for audio 2 (210), the timeinformation indicated as the start time t₂ and the end time t₃. Videodata (430) includes time information for video 2 (220), the timeinformation indicated as the start time t₂₁ and the end time t₂₃.Marking data (450) includes time information for marking 2-1 (230), thetime information indicated as the start time t₂₂ and the end time t₂₄.Marking data (460) includes time information for marking 2-2 (240), thetime information indicated as the start time t₂₅ and the end time t₃.The time information (e.g., audio time information, video timeinformation, or marking time information) may be indicative of a time atwhich the respective multimedia data, datum, and/or chunk is to beplayed back in the second computing device 500 (e.g., audience device).In some aspects, a given multimedia data need not include all or part ofthe time information when the start and end time is identical to thestart and end time of the slide with which the multimedia data isassociated with. For example, audio 2 (210) starts and ends at the sametime as slide 2 (200) starts and ends, so audio data (410) need notinclude the time information. In such aspects, an absence of the timeinformation may be indicative that the multimedia is to be played backthrough the entirety of the presentation interval for the associatedslide (e.g., slide 2 (200)). By eliminating such redundant informationand/or information that can be easily determined, the systems andmethods described herein reduce the bandwidth sizes required fortransmitting multimedia content for presentations.

Multimedia Data can be Used to Identify Associations

Furthermore, each multimedia datum (e.g., slide datum, audio datum,video datum, marking datum, etc.) comprises computer-executableinstructions for associating the respective multimedia content (e.g.,the audio, video, or marking) with a slide and/or slide number of thepresentation. For example, slide data (410) further include slideidentification (ID) 002 indicating the order of slide 2 (200).Similarly, audio data (420), video data (430), marking data (450), andmarking data (460) each contain slide information for their respectivemultimedia (e.g., audio 2 (210), video 2 (220), marking 2-1 (230), andmarking 2-3 (240), the slide information associating each of themultimedia to Slide 2 (200) (e.g., via Slide ID 002). Thus, bysegmenting the presentation into components (e.g., presentationdocuments, audio data, video data, markings, etc.), segmenting eachcomponent into pieces (e.g., based on presentation intervals based onwhen each slide is being presented), and supplying time information andslide information for each piece, the first computing device 400 (e.g.,a presenter device or a server) facilitates an effective integration andreproduction of the presentation at the second computing device 500(e.g., an audience device).

Multimedia Content Associated with Two or More Slides

It is also contemplated that various multimedia content, or theircorresponding multimedia data, may be associated with more than oneslide. For example, a given audio or video may be played while two ormore slides of a presentation document is being displayed. In someembodiments, the multimedia content associated with more than one slidemay be split in two (e.g., at a time point that coincides with adetected slide change), resulting in two multimedia content. Also oralternatively, in some embodiment, a different type of multimedia data(in lieu of the slide data) may be used as controlling and deciding thepresentation intervals for the presentation. In such embodiments, ratherthan slide information for each multimedia data, there may beinformation associating each multimedia data to the said differentmultimedia data that controls and decides the presentation intervals.For example, if a presentation includes periods where slides are notshown, but there is still audio throughout the presentation, audio datamay be used for the controlling multimedia data for setting presentationintervals, and to which other multimedia data may be associated with.

Example Display of Audience Device Showing Presentation

As the various components and pieces of the presentation are transmittedto and received by the audience device, the audience device may load,synchronize, and play back the various components and pieces of thepresentation. FIG. 5 illustrates an example display 500 of an audiencedevice showing a presentation, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the audience deviceis playing back the presentation at a time point, t_(A), when slide 2(200) is being displayed, and audio 2 (210) is being played, as shown inthe presentation timeline 510. The presentation timeline 510 shows thatduring time point t_(A), the presenter has already finished presentingslide 1 (100), which had been displayed simultaneously with the playingback of audio 1 (110). However, the presentation timeline 510 also showsthat the audience device will, after a short time, begin playing backvideo 2 (220) and presenting markings 2-1 (230). The presentationtimeline 510 also shows that the audience device will, after a longertime, present marking 2-3 (240). The short time after t_(N) will be atime point t_(B) of the presentation, as shown in FIG. 6 , while thelonger time after t_(N) will be a time point t_(C) of the presentation,as shown in FIG. 7 .

Example Display of Audience Device Showing Presentation With AdditionalMultimedia Content

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display of an audience device showing thepresentation at another time point, and with additional multimediacontent, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.Specifically, the display shown in FIG. 6 is of the presentation at timepoint t_(B), which occurs later in the presentation timeline from t_(A)of FIG. 5 . The additional multimedia content shown in the display inFIG. 6 , which is not shown in FIG. 5 , is video 2 (220) and marking 2-1(230), which is presented during time point t_(B) but are not presentedat time point t_(A). The additional multimedia content nevertheless isassociated with slide 2 (200) based on the slide information of themultimedia data for the additional multimedia content (e.g., video data(430) for video 2 (220) and marking data (450) for marking 2-1 (230)),as previously discussed in relation to FIG. 4 . Thus, the additionalmultimedia content is being played while slide 2 (200) is beingdisplayed. Furthermore, as slide 2 (200) and audio 2 (210) share thesame start and end time, as shown in the presentation timeline 650,audio 2 is being played is being played while slide 2 (200) isdisplayed. As shown in FIG. 6 , video 2 (220) is a recording of thepresenter as they are presenting. Furthermore, marking 2-1 (230) isshown to be an annotation by the presenter where the first bullet pointof slide 2 (200) is starred for emphasis. However, it is contemplatedthat the presenter can generate a marking using any form of annotation,including free form (e.g., simply using the pen tool to draw or writenotes on the slide), shapes, textual emphases (e.g., bold, italics,underline), or the like.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example display of an audience device showing thepresentation at yet another time point with additional multimediacontent, according to another example embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Specifically, the time point for the presentation shown inFIG. 7 is time point t_(C), which is later than the time point t_(B) ofthe presentation shown in FIG. 6 , which is later than the time pointt_(A) of the presentation shown in FIG. 5 . The additional multimediacontent shown in the display in FIG. 7 , which is not shown in FIG. 5 or6 , is marking 2-2 (240), which is presented during time point t_(C) butis not presented at time points t_(A) or t_(B). Furthermore, at timepoint t_(C), video 2 (220) is no longer being played and marking 2-1(230) is no longer being displayed. Nevertheless, marking 2-2 (240) isassociated with slide 2 (200) based on the slide information of markingdata (460) for marking 2-2 (240)) indicating slide ID 002, as previouslydiscussed in relation to FIG. 4 . Thus, marking 2-2 (240) is beingdisplayed while slide 2 (200) is being displayed. Furthermore, as slide2 (200) and audio 2 (210) share the same start and end time, as shown inthe presentation timeline 750, audio 2 is being played is being playedwhile slide 2 (200) is displayed. As shown in FIG. 7 , marking 2-2 (240)is shown to be an annotation by the presenter where the second bulletpoint of slide 2 (200) is starred for emphasis. However, it iscontemplated that the presenter can generate a marking using any form ofannotation, including free form (e.g., simply using the pen tool to drawor write notes on the slide), shapes, textual emphases (e.g., bold,italics, underline), or the like. In some embodiments, for example,where a marking is a free form drawing, the marking data may include oneor more of a thickness (e.g., line size) of the drawing, a color of thedrawing, a texture of the drawing, a shade of the drawing, or the like.

Integration And Synchronization Of A Presentation

The foregoing embodiments described above also allow the integration andsynchronization of the presentation at the audience device or anothercomputing device. As the audience device receives individual componentsand pieces of the presentation (e.g., via separate transmissions), theaudience device may store the pieces and components in data structuresthat facilitate integration and synchronization. FIG. 8 is a blockdiagram illustrating an example database 800 of a computing device thatis integrating and synchronizing multimedia data for a presentation,according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shownin the FIG. 8 , the database 800 may include a plurality ofsub-databases for compartmentalizing multimedia data storage. In thisexample, sub-database 810 may be used to store slide data, sub-database820 may be used to store audio data, sub-database 830 may be used tostore video data, and sub-database 840 may be used to store markingdata. In some embodiments, each sub-database may comprise a datastructure that is customized to be able to store the respective form ofmultimedia data (e.g., slide audio, video, or marking data).Furthermore, as was described previously, since components and/or piecesof the presentation may be transmitted to the audience deviceseparately, for example, in discrete transmission intervals, theaudience device may store the components and/or pieces into the database800 as they are received. For example, as the audience device receivesmultimedia data pertaining to the first presentation interval (e.g.,from time t₁ to t₂ of the presentation timeline), the receivedmultimedia data (e.g., slide 1 (100), and audio 1 (110)) may be storedin their respective sub-databases in a manner where the storedmultimedia data is linked or otherwise associated with one another forbelonging to the same presentation interval. As the audience devicereceives multimedia data pertaining to each subsequent presentationinterval (e.g., from time t₂ to t₃ of the presentation timeline), thereceived multimedia data (e.g., slide 2 (200), audio 2 (210), video 2(220), marking 2-1 (230), marking 2-2 (240)) may be stored in theirrespective sub-databases in a manner where the stored multimedia data islinked or otherwise associated with one another for belonging to thesame subsequent presentation interval (e.g., the second presentationinterval).

Identifying Associations of Data Entries in the Database

As previously discussed, presentation intervals may be based on thetimes allotted to each slide in a presentation. Thus, in at least oneembodiment, multimedia data for multimedia to content to be played backwithin the same presentation interval may be associated with one anotherbased on their slide information. In this example, multimedia data fortwo multimedia —slide 1 (100) and audio 1 (110)—are associated to oneanother based on the slide information—Slide ID 001—linking bothmultimedia to slide 1 of the presentation. Similarly, multimedia datafor slide 2 (200), audio 2 (210), video 2 (220), marking 2-1 (230), andmarking 2-2 (240)—are associated with one another based on the slideinformation—Slide ID 002—linking each multimedia to slide 2 of thepresentation. The associations of various database entries for suchmultimedia data are shown in FIG. 8 , for example, through dashed linesacross the same row of stored multimedia data. Furthermore, the timeinformation for a given multimedia data may also be stored within thesub-database entry. However, as previously discussed, time informationfor a multimedia data (e.g., multimedia data for audio 1 (110) and audio2 (210)) need not be stored if the start and end times for thatmultimedia data is the same as the presentation interval (e.g., thestart and end time for the slide with which the multimedia data isassociated with).

Reproducing the Presentation Using the Example Database

The entry of multimedia data for a presentation into the data structuresof database 800, as shown in FIG. 8 , allows the audience device oranother computing device to efficiently reproduce the presentation. Forexample, the audience device may identify a sub-database (e.g.,sub-database 810) as being controlling for the purposes of thepresentation, for example, because the multimedia data stored in thatsub-database (e.g., the slides of the presentation document) sets thepresentation intervals and/or because other multimedia data form anassociation with the multimedia data. While the example described inFIG. 8 use slide data as the controlling multimedia data, this need notbe so and it is contemplated that other multimedia data may be used(e.g., video segments, audio segments, etc.). After the sub-databasestoring the controlling multimedia data (e.g., the presentationdocument) is identified, the audience device may load the storedmultimedia data for a first presentation interval. In this example, thefirst presentation interval may be identified by the slide informationdesignating a slide as the first slide (e.g., slide ID 001) and/or bythe time information indicating a slide as having the start time t₁.Next, other multimedia data (audio 1 (110) associated with thecontrolling multimedia (e.g., slide 1 (100)) may be identified andloaded. In the data structure shown in the database 800, the othermultimedia data may be identified based on their associations (as shownvia the dashed line and placement along the same row). After themultimedia data for one presentation interval are loaded, the audiencedevice may proceed with performing substantially similar or same stepswith the next presentation interval (e.g., corresponding the nextslide). In the event where other associated multimedia data, despitehaving associations with the same controlling multimedia (e.g., theslide), have different time information, multimedia data having earlierstart times may be loaded first. For example, video 2 (220) may beloaded before marking 2-1 (230), since video 2 (220) has an earlierstart time, even though video 2 (220) and marking 2-1 are bothassociated with one another based on their occurrence within the samepresentation interval of slide 2 (200). Thus, the audience device mayefficiently store, synthesize, integrate, and/or reproduce apresentation from individual components and pieces of the presentation,thus overcoming the issues of size and bandwidth in conventionalpresentation distributions between computing devices.

Computing Devices and Systems that May Use the Example Database

Furthermore, while the example database 800 is described as being usedby the audience device for synthesizing the presentation, the exampledatabase 800 may also or alternatively be used by other computingdevices, such as the presenter device or another computing system (e.g.,a server). For example, in embodiments where the presenter device isused to generate multimedia data from a live or recorded presentation(e.g., a ZOOM call) for a distribution or redistribution of thepresentation to an audience device for reproduction thereon, thepresenter device may employ the database 800 and the techniques for datastorage thus described for storing the multimedia data of thepresentation. For example, the presentation device may detect slidechanges from the live or recorded presentation to determine presentationintervals, store captured slides (e.g., through image capture), andstore multimedia data corresponding to captured audio, video, and/ormarkings, including associations between multimedia data, according tothe techniques thus described. Also or alternatively, a server mayreceive a presentation performed by the presenter using the presenterdevice, and the server may use the techniques of slide and othermultimedia (e.g., video, audio, marking) detection and capture todetermine presentation intervals, store captured slides (e.g., throughimage capture), and store multimedia data corresponding to capturedaudio, video, and/or markings, including associations between multimediadata, according to the techniques thus described. The server may causeor facilitate the transmission of, and/or directly transmit, the piecesand components of the presentation, along with the slide information andthe time information for the pieces and components, to the audiencedevice.

Computing Device

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing system usedfor generating, transmitting, reproducing, and/or integrating multimediacontents for a presentation, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The example computing system may be an examplecomputing device used by the presenter device, the audience device,and/or another computing device used for generating, transmitting,reproducing, and/or integrating multimedia contents for thepresentation. For example, the computing system 900 may comprise maycomprise a standalone or portable computing device (e.g., a mobiledevice, personal digital assistant, laptop, tablet computers, desktop,etc.) having one or more of the subcomponents described herein forallowing a user (e.g., a presenter, an educator, a professional, anaudience, a student, a client, etc.) to present, generate apresentation, transmit or receive the presentation, integrate orreproduce the presentation, and/or view the presentation. As shown inFIG. 9 , the computing system 900 may include, but is not limited to,one or more of a processor 910, a network interface 920, a computerreadable medium 930, an input/output device interface 940, a display950, a camera 962, a microphone 964, and memory 970. Furthermore thememory 970 may comprise, and/or store computer-executable or machinereadable instructions to run or execute, one or more of an operatingsystem 972, a user interface module 974, and a presentation module 976.

The processor 910 may comprise any one or more types of digital circuitconfigured to perform operations on a data stream, including functionsdescribed in the present disclosure. The network interface 920 may allowthe computing system (e.g., a presenter or audience device) to transmitdata, receive data, and/or otherwise communicate with another computingsystem (e.g., an audience or a presenter device, respectively) over acommunication network. For example, the respective network interface maycomprise a wired interface (e.g., electrical, RF (via coax), opticalinterface (via fiber)), a wireless interface, a, modem, etc. Thecomputer readable medium 930 may comprise a medium capable of storingvarious components or pieces of the presentation (e.g., multimediadatum) in a format readable by a computing device. Examples ofmachine-readable media include magnetic media such as magnetic disks,cards, tapes, and drums, punched cards and paper tapes, optical discs,barcodes and magnetic ink characters. For example, in the process ofcreating and/or generating a presentation, a presenter may loadadditional multimedia content (e.g., audio and/or video files) forcertain slides of a presentation document using the computer readablemedium 930. The input/output device interface 940 may comprise ahardware or logic that transfers information between internal storagedevices (e.g., memory 970, computer readable medium 930) and an externalperipheral device (e.g., display 950, camera 962). For example, anaudience device may load various components of a presentation (e.g.,slide data, audio data, video data, and/or marking data for a givenpresentation interval) from a database (e.g., database 800) stored inthe memory 970 and output said components to the display 950 suing theinput/output device interface 940. The display 950 may comprise any formof an output device for presenting various aspects of the presentationin a visual and/or tactile form. The camera 962 may comprise any form ofoptical instrument for capturing images, e.g., for generating videodata, detecting slide changes, and/or generating marking data from alive or recorded presentation. The microphone 964 may comprise any formof sound recording instrument for capturing audio, e.g., for generatingaudio data from a live or recorded presentation.

The memory 970 may comprise any type of long term, short term, volatile,nonvolatile, or other memory and is not to be limited to any particulartype of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memoryis stored. The memory 970 may store instructions, programs, orprogrammable logic that, when executed or activated by the processor910, can cause the computing system 900 to perform one or more methodsdiscussed herein. For example, the operating system 927 may comprise oneor more programs to coordinate the operations of hardware and softwareof the computing system 900 to perform methods described herein. Theuser interface module 974 may comprise one or more programs tocoordinate user input for creating, generating, viewing, and/orinteracting with presentations. Furthermore, the presentation module 976may comprise a software and/or hardware component of the computingsystem 900 for generating, transmitting, reproducing, and/or integratingmultimedia contents for the presentation according to techniques thusdescribed. For example, the presentation module 976 may include computerexecutable instructions, programs, and/or programmable logic for storingmultimedia content of a presentation to a database (e.g., database 800)that facilitates an effective integration of the presentation using, forexample, associations between pieces of the presentation based on timeinformation and slide information.

It will be appreciated that all of the disclosed methods and proceduresdescribed herein can be implemented using one or more computer programsor components. These components may be provided as a series of computerinstructions on any conventional computer readable medium ormachine-readable medium, including volatile or non-volatile memory, suchas RAM, ROM, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks, optical memory, orother storage media. The instructions may be provided as software orfirmware, and/or may be implemented in whole or in part in hardwarecomponents such as ASICs, FPGAs, DSPs or any other similar devices. Theinstructions may be configured to be executed by one or more processors,which when executing the series of computer instructions, performs orfacilitates the performance of all or part of the disclosed methods andprocedures.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to theexample embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilledin the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and withoutdiminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that suchchanges and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing a multimedia presentation,the method comprising: providing a presentation document comprising aplurality of slides which comprises a first slide and a second slide;generating multimedia data of a presentation performed by at least onepresenter using the presentation document, wherein the multimedia datacomprises a first audio datum, a first video datum, a second audio datumand a second video datum; wherein the first audio datum is associatedwith the first slide and configured for reproducing a first audiocaptured while the first slide is displayed during the presentation, thefirst video datum is associated with the first slide and configured forreproducing a first video captured while the first slide is displayedduring the presentation, the second audio datum is associated with thesecond slide and configured for reproducing a second audio capturedwhile the second slide is displayed during the presentation, and thesecond video datum is associated with the second slide and configuredfor reproducing a second video captured while the second slide isdisplayed during the presentation; and causing to transmit themultimedia data to an audience device for reproduction of the multimediapresentation such that: each of the first audio datum, the first videodatum, the second audio datum and the second video datum is individuallytransmitted to the audience device, each of the first audio datum, thefirst video datum, the second audio datum and the second video datum istransmitted along with slide information indicative of one of theplurality of slides with which it is associated, the first video datum,when transmitted, is not combined or integrated with the first slide,the second video datum, when transmitted, is not combined or integratedwith the second slide, the first video datum is transmitted along withfirst video time information for playing back the first video datum, andthe second video datum is transmitted along with second video timeinformation for playing back the second video datum.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: causing to synchronize playing of the firstaudio datum and displaying of the first slide such that the first slideappears on a screen of the audience device or another device as thefirst audio datum starts to be played back; and causing to synchronizeplaying of the second audio datum and displaying of the second slidesuch that the second slide appears on the screen as the second audiodatum starts to be played back.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: causing at least part of the plurality of slides comprisingthe first and second slides to be transmitted to the audience deviceprior to transmission of the multimedia data to the audience device;causing to load the at least part of the plurality of slides on aviewing computer program installed in the audience device for viewingthe at least part of the plurality of slides prior to receipt of thefirst audio datum by the audience device; and causing to synchronizeplaying of the first audio datum and displaying of the first slide suchthat the first slide appears on a screen of the audience device oranother device as the first audio datum starts to be played back.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the second slide is immediately subsequent tothe first slide in the presentation, wherein the method furthercomprises: causing to transmit the first slide to the audience device;and subsequently causing to transmit the second slide to the audiencedevice, wherein the first audio datum and the first video datum aretransmitted to the audience device prior to transmission of the secondslide.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second slide is immediatelysubsequent to the first slide in the presentation, wherein the secondaudio datum is transmitted to the audience device along with a secondaudio time information for playing back the second audio datum, whereinthe second audio time information indicates a relative time withreference to transition from the first slide to the second slide.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises: causing tosynchronize playing of the first audio datum and displaying of the firstslide such that the first slide appears on a screen of the audiencedevice or another device as the first audio datum starts to be playedback; and causing to synchronize playing of the second audio datum anddisplaying of the second slide such that the first slide is switched tothe second slide on the screen as the second audio datum starts to beplayed back.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing tostart playing the first video datum at the time indicated by the firstvideo time information while the first slide is being displayed on ascreen such that a first video of the first video datum is displayed onthe screen together with the first slide; and causing to start playingthe second video datum at the time indicated by the second video timeinformation while the second slide is being displayed on the screen suchthat a second video of the second video datum is displayed on the screentogether with the second slide.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein thefirst video datum comprises one or more first visual data configured forreproducing one or more visual elements of a video captured while thefirst slide is displayed during the presentation, wherein the secondvideo datum comprises one or more second visual data configured forreproducing one or more visual elements of a video captured while thesecond slide is displayed during the presentation, wherein themultimedia data further comprises a first marking datum and a secondmarking datum, wherein the first marking datum is associated with thefirst slide as containing at least one marking made on the first slidewhile the first slide is displayed during the presentation, wherein thesecond marking datum is associated with the second slide as containingat least one marking made on the second slide while the second slide isdisplayed during the presentation.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereineach of the first marking datum and the second marking datum isindividually transmitted to the audience device, wherein each of thefirst marking datum and the second marking datum is transmitted alongwith slide information indicative of one of the plurality of slides withwhich it is associated, wherein the first marking datum, whentransmitted, is not combined or integrated with the first slide, whereinthe second marking datum, when transmitted, is not combined orintegrated with the second slide, wherein the first marking datum istransmitted along with first marking time information indicative of atime at which the first marking datum is to be played back, and whereinthe second marking datum is transmitted along with second marking timeinformation indicative of a time at which the second marking datum is tobe played back.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first video datumis referred to as a first marking datum configured for reproducing atleast one marking made on the first slide while the first slide isdisplayed during the presentation, wherein the second video datum isreferred to as a second marking datum configured for reproducing atleast one marking made on the second slide while the second slide isdisplayed during the presentation, wherein the first marking datumcomprises location information indicative of a location of a marking onthe first slide and a time associated with the location.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein the first marking datum further comprise thicknessinformation indicative of a thickness of the marking and colorinformation indicative of a color of the marking.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein generating the multimedia data comprises: capturing anaudio during the presentation, in which the first slide is displayed andsubsequently the first slide is replaced with the second slide;detecting a slide change in which the first slide is replaced with thesecond slide; creating the first audio datum using a first portion ofthe audio that ends at the time of the slide change; and creating thesecond audio datum using a second portion of the audio that starts atthe time of the slide change.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinproviding the audio comprises capturing the audio during thepresentation, wherein detecting the slide change and creating the firstaudio datum are performed while the presentation is being performed,wherein the slide change is detected based on an input by the at leastone presenter or based on monitoring of displayed slides while thepresentation is being performed, wherein the first audio datum istransmitted to the audience device by streaming while the presentationis being performed.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating themultimedia data comprises: capturing an audio during the presentation,in which the first slide is displayed and subsequently the first slideis replaced with the second slide; detecting an addition of the firstvideo occurred while the first slide is displayed during thepresentation; creating the first video datum comprising the first video;and further creating the first video time information indicative of atime at which the first video is added.
 15. The method of claim 1,wherein generating the multimedia data comprises: providing at least onerecording of audio of the presentation, in which the first slide isdisplayed and subsequently the first slide is replaced with the secondslide; providing at least one recording of a visual representation ofthe presentation which comprises a sequence of at least part of theplurality of slides; processing the visual representation of thepresentation to detecting a slide change in which the first slide isreplaced with the second slide; determining a time of the slide changerelative to a reference point in the audio of the presentation; creatingthe first audio datum using a portion of the audio that ends at the timeof the slide change; and creating the second audio datum using a portionof the audio that starts at the time of the of the slide change.
 16. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:receive, from a first computing device, a presentation documentcomprising a plurality of slides which comprises a first slide and asecond slide; generate multimedia data of a multimedia presentationperformed by at least one presenter using the presentation document,wherein the multimedia data comprises a first audio datum, a first videodatum, a second audio datum and a second video datum, wherein the firstaudio datum is associated with the first slide and configured forreproducing a first audio captured while the first slide is displayedduring the presentation, the first video datum is associated with thefirst slide and configured for reproducing a first video captured whilethe first slide is displayed during the multimedia presentation, thesecond audio datum is associated with the second slide and configuredfor reproducing a second audio captured while the second slide isdisplayed during the multimedia presentation, and the second video datumis associated with the second slide and configured for reproducing asecond video captured while the second slide is displayed during themultimedia presentation; and cause transmission of the multimedia datato a second computing device for reproduction of the multimediapresentation such that: each of the first audio datum, the first videodatum, the second audio datum and the second video datum is individuallytransmitted to the second computing device, each of the first audiodatum, the first video datum, the second audio datum and the secondvideo datum is transmitted along with slide information indicative ofone of the plurality of slides with which it is associated, the firstvideo datum, when transmitted, is not combined or integrated with thefirst slide, the second video datum, when transmitted, is not combinedor integrated with the second slide, the first video datum istransmitted along with first video time information for playing back thefirst video datum, and the second video datum is transmitted along withsecond video time information for playing back the second video datum.17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinstructions, when executed, further cause the at least one processorto: cause the second computing device to synchronize playing of thefirst audio datum and displaying of the first slide such that the firstslide appears on a screen of the second computing device as the firstaudio datum starts to be played back; and cause the second computingdevice to synchronize playing of the second audio datum and displayingof the second slide such that the second slide appears on the screen asthe second audio datum starts to be played back.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted, further cause the at least one processor to: cause at leastpart of the plurality of slides comprising the first and second slidesto be transmitted to the second computing device prior to transmissionof the multimedia data to the second computing device; cause the secondcomputing device to load the at least part of the plurality of slides ona viewing computer program installed in the second computing device forviewing the at least part of the plurality of slides prior to receipt ofthe first audio datum by the second computing device; and cause thesecond computing device to synchronize playing of the first audio datumand displaying of the first slide such that the first slide appears on ascreen of the second computing device as the first audio datum starts tobe played back.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim16, wherein the second slide is immediately subsequent to the firstslide in the multimedia presentation, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted, further cause the at least one processor to: causetransmission of the first slide to the second computing device; andsubsequently cause transmission of the second slide to the secondcomputing device, wherein the first audio datum and the first videodatum are transmitted to the second computing device prior totransmission of the second slide.
 20. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 16, wherein the second slide is immediatelysubsequent to the first slide in the multimedia presentation, whereinthe second audio datum is transmitted to the second computing devicealong with a second audio time information indicative of a time at whichthe second audio datum is to be played back, wherein the time indicatedby the second audio time information is at a time at which playing ofthe first audio datum is completed.